Overall a great experience as I expected. What I didn't expect was some of the beautiful redwood groves that we'd run through on the way back and forth to Skyline. … MORE
Overall a great experience as I expected. What I didn’t expect was some of the beautiful redwood groves that we’d run through on the way back and forth to Skyline. Never knew they were even there! Race overall was hard as it was my first 50k and I didn’t really get enough training miles in, but I wanted to do it. The beginning was good over paved trails before about 4 miles in it hits trail, finally! 🙂 This was a modified course from the usual due to construction on the dam and I was told this was harder than normal. If that is so, I want to come back next year and run the normal course because this one was definitely not a jaunt in the park. Good climbs and descents through, and the climb from mile 20-21 was brutal, took about 5 miles to recover from that alone. Overall, I loved the course and will be back for more! Love the BBQ @ the end. Definitely good for some quick protein & carbs to replenish the stores from the 50k. Got a cool tech shirt and a bag of goodies. No medal, but good memories!
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My first 50k and I loved it!
Overall a great experience as I expected. What I didn't expect was some of the beautiful redwood groves that we'd run through on the way back and forth to Skyline. … MORE
Overall a great experience as I expected. What I didn’t expect was some of the beautiful redwood groves that we’d run through on the way back and forth to Skyline. Never knew they were even there! Race overall was hard as it was my first 50k and I didn’t really get enough training miles in, but I wanted to do it. The beginning was good over paved trails before about 4 miles in it hits trail, finally! 🙂 This was a modified course from the usual due to construction on the dam and I was told this was harder than normal. If that is so, I want to come back next year and run the normal course because this one was definitely not a jaunt in the park. Good climbs and descents through, and the climb from mile 20-21 was brutal, took about 5 miles to recover from that alone. Overall, I loved the course and will be back for more! Love the BBQ @ the end. Definitely good for some quick protein & carbs to replenish the stores from the 50k. Got a cool tech shirt and a bag of goodies. No medal, but good memories!
Skyline 50k - SP performs again!
This was my first time running the Skyline 50k. Friends had talked about it and ran it last year, and I needed a 50k for my training schedule, it worked … MORE
This was my first time running the Skyline 50k. Friends had talked about it and ran it last year, and I needed a 50k for my training schedule, it worked out perfectly on my calendar. I had only participated in one other Scena Performance race, the Calistoga Scramble in 2015 (had a great time too) so I was looking forward to this race. Bryan Wyatt is such a nice man, very easy going, and I think SP races take on that vibe. If you are looking for a lot of fanfare, this race does not come with a lot of hoopla. You don’t get a medal at the finish, but you do get a tech shirt, and they give you a nice cloth bag (handy for carrying stuff in after the race). Best of all, you get to enjoy a nice BBQ at the end of the race! I rated the swag in the middle, but in reality some people could care less about the swag, and would rather share a nice hot meal after a race. I find it very enjoyable hanging out with friends, eating BBQ, drinking, and sharing race stories.
The course was changed because of the park construction, and I REALLY enjoyed the changes. I do a lot of Brazen races out in that area, so the change was nice, especially at the end of a 50k. I very much enjoyed the Columbine trail section and seeing the lake from a different view was so nice. I really liked the course changes and I hope they keep it for next year. You get to see some beautiful redwood trees on the French Trail, and again, the lake views are very pretty. I saw some wildlife out there as well. I will say that the course was a bit more difficult than I had expected. My watch showed over 5,000 ft of elevation and there are some very technical sections. I think the course change might have added a bit more elevation. Regardless, you should know ahead of time that there are technical sections rocks/roots. It can also get very warm in the later sections of the race if you are a back of the pack runner like myself.
Aid Stations – Phenomenal. Every aid station, course monitors, and volunteers along the way were great. I was out on the course a lot by myself and I didn’t have any issues with the markings. There were 2 areas I had to really stop and pay attention to look for footsteps, but overall, really great course markings. I also liked that they had watermelon at the aid stations and unlike a lot of other races, they never ran out! That is one of my favorite go to options at a race, and they had it available all day long. It’s the little things…that make me happy 🙂 First rate aid stations.
I had an overall great race. I ran the first 25 miles for pace training, and finished the last section of the race with a friend. I’m hoping to do this one again next year!
Pretty and scenic Bay Area Trail race.
This is a nice moderately challenging, non-technical trail ultra-marathon. Most of the course is wide fire roads and all aid stations are well-stocked. At Mile 30 (or so), there is … MORE
This is a nice moderately challenging, non-technical trail ultra-marathon. Most of the course is wide fire roads and all aid stations are well-stocked. At Mile 30 (or so), there is a bouncy suspension bridge (my favorite). At the finish is a nice spread of roasted meats, vegan fare, sodas and keg beer. Also, unlike many other races, you get finishers’ gear AT the end, which for 2014 included a nice technical shirt (with a different color and cut for women), tech socks, and a canvas (shopping) bag.